The Dragonball Zone
by peekapika83
Summary: This is a series of one-shots based on old Twilight Zone episodes. Each Chapter is a complete fic.
1. Chapter 1

Work in Progress

Master Roshi: Our story today begins in the north central district of New West City. The setting is the home of one 'Son Gohan'. A shy, unassuming man, still in the prime of his youth (heh heh, just like yours' truly ladies!); we discover he is inside the Dragonball Zone...

Gohan watched with rapt attention as Trunks poured him a drink. This was just what he needed after a long day of working on his latest manuscript. He had discovered over time that being a world famous author did have it's perks, even if it wasn't as glamorous as being a martial arts champion. Though his publishing house called it science fiction, it was really just the story of his life, with only a few tweaks here and there. Gohan stared into the flames of the fireplace as he grinned, thinking of those "adjustments"...

Trunks turned to him, drink in hand, and sat down on the couch, closer than he probably should have... That twinkling light in Trunks' intelligent blue eyes couldn't be denied though, and Gohan slipped his arm around him as he took the drink; placing a kiss on the side of his neck.

From the pathway that lead around the garage and into the house, the whole scene was clearly visible to Videl as she walked by the window of Gohan's office. Shock covered her face, but was quickly replaced by her normal hard-ass exterior in no time. Very few people could go from sweet to bitch in as little time as she, except for maybe Chichi. When she stormed into the house, she found the door to Gohan's study locked, and began banging on in incessantly.

Gohan heard the front door opening and Videls' angry footsteps approaching, and sighed out loud. Trunks looked dejected, the light falling from his face.

"Please don't make me go" he said earnestly.

"What choice do I have?" Gohan replied sadly, rising from the sofa. Trunks tugged at his own jacket in consternation.

"What are you so afraid of?" he dared to venture... Gohan made an exasperated sound, rubbing his forehead.

"It's just the way it has to be, you know that... I'm sorry."

Videl was red in the face and looking for blood when he finally opened the door for her a moment later.

"Hey babe, how was the movie?" Gohan asked her normally, "Is something wrong? I didn't think you'd be back from girls night so early." She didn't answer him right away, simply pushing her way into the room since she couldn't see the interloper from the hallway. Once she was in though, no other presence was forthcoming... She looked around suspiciously as Gohan tried to ask her about her day.

"Oh, no, I'm just fine," she replied absently, eying the huge tri-fold rice paper screen that adorned the space opposite Gohan's desk. She marched over to it, pushing it aside roughly.

"What are you doing babe?" Gohan asked with concern, "That was a gift..."

Videl spun to confront him.

"I'm looking for something" she said as she glared. Gohan began to feel a bit nervous.

"Oh, really? What did you lose? I'll help you look for it" Gohan offered hopefully.

"Apparently my husbands' fidelity" she said through gritted teeth, "I saw him, Gohan, I saw you with Trunks' just now, so cut the act."

"Oh" Gohan paled, "It's not what you think Videl-" he started.

"Not what I think? You were practically latched onto each other, you were KISSING HIS NECK Gohan, tell me how that's 'not what I think'?" she interrupted.

"Just let me explain-"

"Ha! I wonder how Trunks' explains those hickeys to Vegeta? Hmm? Maybe we should call and ask him" she said as she headed for the phone on the wall. Gohan cut her off, stopping her abruptly with his hand on her wrist as she reached for the receiver.

"No. Now just calm down for a minute and let me explain, will you?" he said more forcefully. Videl couldn't have broken the grip on her arm if her life had depended on it, so she decided to bide her time and pull back a bit for now.

"Fine. Let's hear whatever ridiculous nonsense you've got to defend yourself with."

Gohan guided her over to one of the chairs that faced the sofa, and sat her down calmly. He took a step back and pondered where to begin for a moment as she sat there fully expecting a crock of shit. She knew what she had seen...goddamn lying cheating scumbag- Gohan's voice broke through her internal rant.

"Do you remember my novel, _The Guardian of Time_?" he asked seriously.

"What the hell does that have to do with you cheating on me?" Videl responded.

"Do you remember it?" he said again.

"God Gohan, yes I remember it."

"Good, now do you remember the main character in it, Alaster?" he pushed her further.

"I remember how much you bitched about the actor they chose for him in the movie adaptation, does that count?" she said sarcastically. Gohan decided to let that pass...

"Ok, well – first off, you know that book was actually based off of real events, and the people in it were real too. Secondly, do you remember how I've told you that sometimes two people who watch the same car accident will have two different versions of how it happened?"

"Oh come on Gohan, stop stalling and trying to change the subject-"

"But I'm not, this is the subject" he interrupted her. She stood and started heading for the door.

"Videl! Where do you think you're going?"

"I'm _going_ to call my lawyer" she said.

"Will you just listen to me for half a minute? I'm trying to explain!" he said as he pulled her back to the chair.

"Look, just hear me out on this – you know how sometimes you see things so strongly in a certain way, that the concept almost takes on a life of it's own? Well that's what happened with the version of Trunks in my story. The character came alive, Videl! With his own force of will and feelings and everything!"

She stared at him angrily, and then slapped him in the face.

"I'm done listening to this" she said, "you and Trunks can both go to hell!"

"But he's not Trunks, Videl, not the one you know – that's what I'm trying to explain" Gohan replied, rubbing the side of his face in surprise. Not that it had actually hurt.

"What the hell are you talking about? You mean the other one came back from the future without telling anyone?"

"No, no, I mean this is a totally separate version of him – he is the one from _my_ story. I don't know how or why, but one day when I started dictating his description into the recorder, he was suddenly standing there beside me!"

Anger, disbelief, and horror warred for supremacy on Videl's face... he had looked so serious when he said that...

"And later I realized that anyone I describe well enough can be created that way! So many of my creations have walked through that door, sat down and talked to me, real flesh and blood; you have to believe me!" Gohan implored, seeing that he was losing her.

"You're insane if you expect me to believe that. I don't know how he got out of here without me seeing, but that was definitely Trunks – stop insulting my intelligence with this stupid game you're playing Gohan."

"It's not a game," he said in frustration, "look, if I show you how he got out of here, will you believe me?"

She most certainly would not, but she did want to see what kind of secret door or passage he had rigged up in here...

"Fine, whatever Gohan." she said with her hands on her temples, as if to keep her head from exploding.

He walked over to the drawer of his desk, and pulled out a pair of scissors. He turned to her with them, gesturing at the tape recorder.

"I told you he got in here by my describing him on the tape... Well, he didn't crawl out the window or jump behind a wall, I cut him out."

He pulled an 'imaginary' piece of tape off the machine, and sharply snipped it in the air with his scissors.

"After that you just toss the section that has the recording on it into the flames, and poof! instantly they disappear, uncreated in a flash."

Videl's mouth was slightly agape. She broke out of her trance though, and fumed at him.

"You've got some nerve asshole, thinking you can pull this condescending bullshit with me! I'm not a 5 year old you can swindle into believing some ridiculous crap like that!" She stormed by him as she yelled, heading for the door again. Gohan beat her to it, locking it and removing the key before she could take off.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" she screamed into his too calm face.

"I'm going to show you" he said. Videl rolled her eyes and gave an exasperated shout.

"Gahhhh!"

"I can see now that nothing less than that will pacify you... And I want you to understand the truth, Videl" he remarked as he went back to his desk. Picking up the microphone, he began to speak into it as it started recording.

"His name is Trunks Briefs, and he comes from a future we no longer share. He is 5 foot 10 and physically fit, a trained martial artist. His hair is a shade of lavender that none would dare call pink, and his cerulean eyes burn with intelligence and compassion. He is a quiet, self-confident man, who has seen great sorrow and great joy, and learned to appreciate what is truly important because of it. He is sitting on my sofa as we speak."

When Trunks looked up at Videl, she fainted.

Gohan caught her, and Trunks jumped up so he could lay her on the couch. As she came to, she could hear them arguing beside her.

"Is that why you brought me here?" Trunks asked.

"I know," Gohan replied, "It's not right, and it's not your fault – but I have no choice."

Videl opened her eyes to see them staring at each other morosely.

"No!" she said, shaking herself as she sat up, "No, you must be using instant transmission, that's it!"

"It's not IT Videl, I told you – he appeared because I created him there" Gohan said, sounding a little put-off.

"You-... God! This is horrific Gohan, really, the lengths you're going to with this – it's, it's insane – I'm going to have you _committed_ if you don't stop this right now!" Videl warned.

"I'm not making it up Videl! I told you!" Gohan argued with her ineffectually.

"Stop, just stop already with this ridiculous charade!" Videl shouted back.

Trunks stood quietly to the side, but he knew where this was going.

"Are you really going to make me do it Videl?" Gohan asked.

"He just got here, and you're going to make me make him leave?"

"I've had enough of this shit Gohan, unlock the door right now" she demanded.

"Gohan?" Trunks got his attention with a hand on his shoulder. He smiled, but his eyes were sad as he spoke.

"I know how it has to be... it's ok... just... just don't bring me back again this time, ok? I don't think I can handle having to keep saying goodbye..."

"...she's my wife..." Gohan said apologetically.

"Not for long you psycho" Videl spat at him. Gohan huffed angrily and turned to her.

"You've forced my hand here Videl, I don't want to do this, he doesn't deserve this, but now I have to."

Videl turned and began trying to kick down the door, but found it was too solidly reinforced for her human strength to best.

"HEY!" Gohan yelled at her... he never yelled at her...

"You turn around and you watch goddammit! You look at him while he gets unmade!" Gohan shouted as he lost his composure.

"Trunks, forgive me..." he breathed as he crumpled the tape up and tossed it in the flames. Instantly Trunks vanished from the room, the sadness of his smile left behind.

"That proves nothing, having your boyfriend IT out of here on cue... HOW STUPID DO YOU THINK I AM GOHAN?" Videl screamed as she totally lost it. She went over to the drink cart and began throwing the glasses and bottles, some at the locked door, some at him, but they were easily dodged. When there weren't any left she threw the entire cart at him as well. He didn't even duck, just caught it out of the air and set it down beside him. He walked over and stopped her when she started pulling books of his shelf.

"You still don't believe me? You still think this is some sort of IT trick? Well how about I show you something that can't IT away? Hmm? Sit down and stop acting like a child" he said as he forcefully sat her down on the sofa. He didn't realize she had slipped the key out of his pocket while he tried to reason with her. As soon as he turned to walk back to his desk, she quickly went for the door and unlocked it. He turned at the "click" it made, microphone already in hand. Instead of going after her, he began to speak.

"There is a large, carnivorous dinosaur standing in the hall, blocking her way!" he said angrily.

Videl screamed as enormous fangs snapped closed about a foot from her face. She backed up quickly as the monsters' roar shook every window in the house. She slammed the door to the study closed behind her, and the sound of home décor being obliterated started coming from the other side.

"Gohan!"

"Yes Videl?"

"You get that thing out of my house right now, or so help me!..."

"Will you stay if I do?" A huge crash and a shudder from the walls told of the structural damage being done now.

"Yes! Yes! Just make it stop!"

Gohan reached over and cut out the offending strip of tape, throwing it in the fire with a grin as the commotion stopped immediately.

"See, I told you Videl, I've told you over and over; why don't you believe me?"

A very pale Videl cracked open the door, and stared blankly out – the hallway was empty. She threw the door open wide, and turned to her husband with reproach.

"Why? Because you're completely certifiable Gohan, that's why" she said as she turned to leave.

"You shouldn't say things like that Videl – besides, you said you would stay."

"Do you really think I'm just going to sit here and put up with this? Live like this?" she said, starting to walk away.

"I could always show you another one."

"No!" Videl whirled in her tracks with a hand out to stop him. Gohan chuckled inwardly as she walked back to him calmly, her face a picture of demure composure.

"I suppose I could stay for a little while, but just long enough to find you some help, ok Gohan?"

Gohan knew that tone of voice – his mom had used it on him when he had nightmares about Frieza – it was meant to calm the irrational and the deranged... He sighed. He guessed this really was all his fault, he had made her too much like his mother, too much like what she had wanted _for_ him (which was a version of herself). There was really only one course of action left. He walked over to the bookcase and removed a section of encyclopedias that served as a false front for the safe in the wall.

"How long has that been there?" Videl asked accusingly.

"A long time, since before we were married..." he replied. Reaching in, he pulled out one of the envelopes kept there, and walked over to her holding it gingerly.

"What is that?"

Gohan faced the envelope toward her, exposing her name written on the front of it, and then handed it to her silently. She opened the flap, revealing a tangled mass of recording tape inside.

"Oh God..." she breathed in disbelief, "Are you serious? Are you fucking serious Gohan?" She closed her eyes, trying to control the rage that threatened to overcome her again.

"It didn't start out like this. I didn't mean to be unfaithful. I was just lonely. I wanted someone to talk to who wouldn't micromanage every aspect of my life, who would just let me talk without constantly telling me how to 'fix' things... I never meant to hurt you. I see now that I made you to be too much like the wife I was _expected_ to take, and not enough like the wife I expected" he spoke softly.

"How dare you." she seethed, "You cheat on me behind my back, with a MAN no less, you concoct this ridiculous scheme about 'creating' people out of thin air and you destroy part of our house in the process of perpetuating your lie... now you want to try and make me believe my own existence is a figment of your imagination?"

Her demeanor changed drastically all of a sudden as her eyes widened.

"You're trying to drive me insane so _I'll_ be put away, aren't you? Then you and Trunks can just ride off into the sunset on a pair of white fucking stallions, is that it?"

"Videl, no, I showed you this to help you understand-"

She threw the envelope into the flames of the fireplace.

"Fuck you. That's what I understand."

"Videl! No! What have you done?" Gohan exclaimed to her retreating back. After only a few steps though, she faltered, gripping the edge of the couch for support. She turned her head back to him just in time for him to see the abject terror on her face, before she disappeared completely.

"Damn it!" Gohan swore, "I told her! I told her so many times, but no, she just couldn't listen, not even once!" He angrily stalked over to his desk, falling into his chair with a thud as he grabbed the microphone.

"Her name is Son Videl..." he began, but paused, hanging his head, halfway through his sentence. After resting his forehead against the cool wood of his desk for a minute, he had made up his mind. Only fools didn't learn from their own mistakes.

A few moments later, deep blue eyes stared quizzically into his as they straddled his lap.

"What happened Gohan?" Trunks questioned him, "I thought you agreed not to do this to me anymore..."

"I'm not. I'm doing something entirely different to you now."

Trunks raised an eyebrow as he was picked up and carried out of the study, still straddling Gohan's waist. He carried him past the destroyed hall, and down to what used to be his and Videl's room. Pushing the door open, he laid Trunks on the foot of the bed, and whispered into his neck.

"...She did it to herself, Trunks... ...I was so shocked, I just froze... I... She's gone now Trunks, and, I've decided... she's not going to be coming back."

He felt a tremble start running through Trunks' body, and squeezed him tightly, kissing the side of his neck as he did.

"Please Gohan, tell me this is really real..." Trunks whispered.

"Yes, Trunks, this is really real" Gohan smiled against his ear.

Their kiss was long and thorough, exploring taking priority over everything else. When clothes finally began to come off, it was with shaking fingers but eager eyes.

"We've done this so many times before, why does it feel so different now?" Trunks asked him.

"Because I get to keep you, that's why" Gohan said as he slid inside him. Trunks moaned unashamedly, rocking his hips to meet Gohan's steady thrusts. Gohan stroked Trunks' aching member, pleasuring the man as fully as he could. When he could see that Trunks' climax was near, he leaned down and grazed his teeth along the length of his neck, from ear to shoulder; before biting down _just_ hard enough to draw blood – making Trunks come immediately beneath him. That euphoric shout in his ear was like a piece of heaven, and Gohan came as well, emptying himself into the younger man.

"What are you going to tell them?"

"We could just tell them you _are_ future trunks, no one would ever know..."

"If you say so..."

"Yes, I say so."

Master Roshi: Well, we hope you kiddies enjoyed our little "romantic" story on the Dragonball Zone – though it was a bit far-fetched if you asked me... Why that boy wasn't surrounded by a hundred naked girlies everyday I'll never know! Hey! Gohan! Why don't you do an old friend a favor and whip up Videl after all, I'll take 'er off your hands for ya!

Gohan: Roshi, you really shouldn't say things like that...

Master Roshi: Eh? Why not? No need to be stingy now!

Gohan: (Sighs) I can see this is going to be a problem.

Trunks hands him an envelope from the safe.

Master Roshi: Oh, whatcha got there boy?

Gohan raises an eyebrow at him and flashes the front of the envelope reading "Master Roshi" on it, before tossing it into the flames.

Master Roshi: Oh Well, it's been a good run... Maybe I'll end up running into Videl after all on the other side!

Trunks face-palms and groans.

The End


	2. Chapter 2

Obsolete Men

Master Roshi: Our story today begins not in a new world, but in one that is simply an extension of what began in the old. It is part of a pattern that has been repeated through history time and time again. But no matter the supposed refinements, or technological differences, all of them carry the same basic principle – the destruction of human freedom and the corruption of logic...

A blank gray room awaited them. A blank gray room was left behind them. They sat in a mass of filtered air and stale minds, awaiting their judgment. There was not a sound in the room as the seamless double doors began to open, until their names crackled loudly over the PA system.

"Son Gohan, Trunks Briefs; Obsolescence."

They stood in unison, walking through the column of guards and into what little was left of their future.

"Step into the light and repeat your names into the microphone."

"Son Gohan"

"Trunks Briefs"

The attendant pulled a sheaf of papers closer to him as he droned into his own mic.

"Internal Investigation, Research and Development, Case #83-267, unauthorized interactions, field study conclusive. Citizens have been oriented."

Atop a large stage, Councilman Sharpner, who was assigned to hear the case, leaned forward, looking down at them calculatingly.

"Do you know why you are here?" he intoned.

Trunks knew all too well why, but the conclusion he had come to about the situation vastly differed from the States' Official Views. But he guessed that was part of the problem, he had been thinking on his own again... It seemed kind of a paradox, that he would be in charge of an experiment that had revolutionized the way mankind interacted with energy, and yet he found himself here for carrying the "creative process" too far.

"Yes Sir" they both replied on cue.

"You have been under surveillance for unauthorized interactions, the purpose of this hearing is documentation and sentencing, do you understand?"

Gohan stared at the Councilman blankly, but he couldn't help but wonder if even a man like him couldn't learn to love somehow; show some real emotion under the right circumstances, care. Gohan couldn't stop his thoughts from wandering anymore these days, not since he had met Trunks really. He mostly thought about how people would react differently if they knew how to feel what he did. Trunks was like rain falling on a tin roof – impossible to ignore, but filling you with a sense of security, even in his brashness. If they had been observing them with any closeness, there would be no way out of this. But they already knew that. They had taken too many risks.

"Yes, Sir" they replied again.

"As you are aware, significant accommodations are made for Citizens participating in sectors of high-level importance. However, certain duties to the State are mandatory, regardless of rank. Pairings are required for all Citizens. As intellectuals, your requirement is 2 offspring. Due to your involvement in Project 23, you have had your Pairings delayed twice, to allow for focus on this critical work. Now that your work has been finished, you were to be Paired immediately for optimal age indexing with your genetic matches. Pending to the findings of this investigation, your Pairings were delayed until sentencing. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Sir"

"The crime of unauthorized interaction carries a penalty of death. At the recommendation of the Council on Genetics, the enforcement of your sentences will be delayed long enough to produce 1 child each from your Pairings-"

"What?" Trunks blurted out of turn. This was not supposed to be happening. Gohan turned to him with his eyes wide at the outburst. It figured though, if anyone was ever going to challenge them here, in their own halls, it would be that man. They were both prepared to die anyway.

"You can't!" he practically yelled at the Councilman, "I refuse."

Gohan took his hand, squeezing it tightly.

"I refuse as well."

The Councilman glared at them as he silenced the room – even the normally sedate guards and lower level bureaucrats reacted to their declarations – no one ever "refused" a Pairing.

"Failure to comply with the will of the State is a treason punishable by death" the Councilman scowled at them.

"We are going to die anyway" Trunks said.

"Then you freely admit your guilt in the matter at hand?"

"Love is not a crime" Trunks said fiercely, "No one can decide what is wrong or right for my heart. Caring for someone else makes life so different, so much more real, I can barely begin to describe it to someone like you."

"Love is not an authorized method of contact. That erratic, unstable emotion was fazed out of societal interactions for a reason, and has been illegal for many years" the Councilman recited.

"Just because you write down some 'law' on a little piece of paper and have "X" number of Council Members sign off on it, doesn't make it true!" Trunks retorted.

"Love is obsolete and an inaccurate system of procreation. Your case is the perfect example. Left to your own unchecked devices, you would choose to participate in a Pairing that is incapable of producing offspring. It would be sheer madness for the State to allow it's brightest scientific minds to _not_ pass on their genetic code to the next generation."

"We're human beings, not just genetic codes" Gohan spoke up.

"You are wasting the State's time with your sedition – you have both been found to be obsolete – the sentence is death."

Gohan braced himself against the edge of the table. It was what they had expected, but it did not lessen the pain of being about to lose him.

Trunks didn't lessen his grip on Gohan's hand – he could see that he was having trouble – instead he pulled him into an embrace that was all too quickly ended by the guards. But it was worth it to see the determination back in Gohan's eyes.

"You will refrain from any further unauthorized contact, or you will have to be physically restrained. Do you understand?" the councilman barked.

Trunks just smiled and nodded his head. That smile vaguely disturbed the Councilman.

"Your execution will be carried out within the next 48 hours. You have many options available to you: pills, shots, electrocution, or any other way in which you prefer to die. The exact time is also up to you, but must take place within the 48 hour time frame. Do you understand?"

"Yes" Trunks replied, "I want to invoke the alternate methods clause." Gohan looked at him questioningly, they had not talked about this beforehand.

"Son Gohan, what is your preferred method?"

"Wherever he goes, I go" was all he said.

"Trunks Briefs, what is your preferred method?"

"I would like an assassin to be assigned to us, and only to him will we divulge the method" he said.

"Rather unorthodox, but permissible as long as the execution takes place within the requisite time frame."

"I have one more request," Trunks said, "I wish for our execution to be televised."

Gohan gasped at that, Trunks knew how much having to watch the televised executions disturbed him. At first it was because he was afraid of what would happen if they were caught. Later though, the more his relationship with Trunks opened his eyes, he began to feel genuinely sorry for the people on the screen...

Trust me, Trunks' eyes implored him.

Of course he did.

Two days later, they had eaten their final meal together, and were doing the dishes just out of habit, when the crew arrived to install the camera in their sparse room. They were quick and efficient, in and out in only 15 minutes. Trunks and Gohan stared at it for a moment after the men left, but then went on with their last moments as planned...

The previous night, when they had been holding each other afterward, Trunks whispered "I'm sorry..." quietly into his ear, clinging to him tightly.

"You were worth it, Trunks" Gohan whispered back. He felt the wetness of a tear slide down around the place where their cheeks were merged, and kissed it away. They had decided then to relive only the good today, as much as possible, and spend their last moments with each other, not with fear.

As the clock struck its hour warning, the mounted camera blinked to life, and a few moments later there was a knock on the door. Trunks opened it to find the Councilman standing there, arms crossed in an air of superiority.

"Ah, I see you got my message, please come in" Trunks stepped back, pulling the door open all the way to let him enter.

"A most unusual request, Mr. Briefs... a cryptic note asking me to visit the home of a condemned man in the last minutes of his life... Highly suspect as well..." the Councilman began.

"Oh, is it?" Trunks asked, inviting him to elaborate as he closed the door behind him.

"Yes, of course. The implication of a dying man wishing to act out some sort of last, pitiful gesture of vengeance upon his condemner cannot be overlooked."

"Then why come?" Trunks asked.

"Because the State is without fear, the State is beyond reproach. You are nothing to the State."

"You look so bored" Gohan said from the couch. He was sitting there casually, wearing jeans and a loose dress shirt that was unbuttoned, watching the interaction between the two men.

"What?" the Councilman turned to him.

"You must be awfully put out, having to come all the way over here to prove that the State is not afraid of two pathetic, 'obsolete' men... and yet the look on your face is just so, blank..."

"Obedience does not require joy or sorrow, only the honor of serving the State is relevant."

"I see" Gohan replied, "So all you live for is the honor of the State?"

"Of course, as all _proper_ Citizens do."

"But what kind of life is that? A machine could just as easily perform all the services you render to the State, so what's the point?" Gohan prodded.

The Councilman didn't answer right away.

Good. That meant that he had no canned response... and was having to think.

"Machines cannot pass judgment" he said after the small delay.

"So would you say then that the ability to judge is a purely human trait?" Trunks questioned him.

"The complexity of evaluation required to make determinations of that sort is beyond a computer" he replied.

"So you freely admit that there are some things that only a human can do?" Trunks smiled, but there was a sadness in the rest of his face.

"I didn't come here to debate with you, I came to prove a point. The will of the State is supreme. The fact of the matter is, in less than an hour from now, you will be no more, but the State will go on forever."

Trunks went over to Gohan on the couch, and sat beside him, pulling a box off the seat to make room for himself.

"Aren't you the slightest bit curious, Councilman Sharpner, as to the method in which we _chose_ to be disposed?" Trunks said as he lifted the lid.

"If you wish me to know, you will tell me, it really is irrelevant."

"At exactly 6pm, a bomb will go off here, destroying us and everything you see here" he told him anyway.

Gohan smiled as Trunks pulled a small slip of paper from the box.

"You're not a cheap date" Trunks said with a laugh as he passed the receipt to Gohan.

"Dating is not an authorized interaction" the Councilman interjected.

"We know," Gohan said "we didn't ask you."

The next item Trunks pulled out was an oddly colored block of metal, and experiment gone wrong – the first they had ever worked on together. Gohan didn't touch the metal, but ran a finger down the side of Trunks' hand as he held it.

"What do you hope to accomplish with your little display here?" the Councilman asked.

"Nothing." Gohan answered, "This is not a display, this is the way we have _chosen_ to live our lives."

The Councilman made an indignant snort, and the admonished them;

"You will be begging on your knees just like all the rest when your time is up; crying and pleading for one more chance – but none shall be given."

They ignored him.

Trunks pulled out a single men's shoe – and Gohan blushed. He tapped it against Gohan's arm twice, gesturing for him to take it as he winked and grinned. Gohan held it for a second, blushing deeper, and then set it next to him on the couch.

Councilman Sharpner had seen enough.

"I am leaving now, you clearly have nothing important to say or reason for calling me here – you are a waste of time" he said as he moved to the door. When he reached for the handle, he saw a strange sort of device attached to it. It wouldn't turn.

"What's going on here!" he demanded.

"It's locked" Trunks said as he pulled out a handwritten page. He skimmed it briefly, his eyes misting, then folded it and tucked it into the breast pocket of his shirt. Gohan ran his hand down the hair at the back of Trunks' neck as he placed the letter next to his heart.

Gohan turned to face the Councilman.

"There is a very important reason for you to be here. You see my partner and I are conducting one last experiment, one that has to do with perception, or judgment, if you will" he said calmly.

"This is absurd, let me out of here!"

"No. You see, some very interesting data is going to be collected in the next few minutes, allowing us to perceive just how much difference there really is between us, the obsolete who love each other, and the State that demands intolerance."

"You're insane – open that door immediately!" he ordered, but neither of them made a move.

The Councilman went over to the single window in the room, but found it barred with steel to prevent the escape of the condemned. He went back to the door, trying the knob again; then tried to break it down, all to no avail. Finally he stopped and composed himself, taking out a pack of cigarettes and lighting one up. He moved to sit on a chair opposite them, and finished smoking before commenting into the silence:

"Someone will come for me, I am a high ranking State Official."

"True, very true... they may be here already actually, but it won't make any difference – no one is getting through that energy field unless we say so" Trunks informed him.

The Councilman paled.

"What do you think you're doing, are you mad?" he shouted, jumping up from his chair.

"Like we said, we're just collecting data."

"This is not some experiment!"

"Oh? What is this then?"

"This is my life we are talking about, I am a Council Member, not a love-mad obsolete fool!"

"Even you my dear Councilman, are replaceable, you said yourself the only thing that separates you from a robot is the cognitive ability to pass judgment – and any human has that" Trunks smiled as he held Gohan's hand with both of his, "why should you be let go if not for that?"

"Because I don't want to die! I want to live!"

The smile on Trunks' face widened.  
"Fascinating" he said, but didn't get up, "even an ant wishes to survive, but that too can be given to the hard-wiring of a machine... The State's unmanned space exploration uses programs designed to maximize the survival of the ship. I know, we helped write them."  
"Please... Please! Whatever it is that you're trying to prove, I don't even care. Please! I beg of you! Let me out!"

Gohan smiled, hearing exactly what he had been hoping for. He got up and crossed over to the door, unlocking it and opening it wide as the Councilman ran through it and into the waiting arms of the ineffectual rescue squad. He sighed, closing the door again behind him.

"And suddenly, in the eyes of love, there is precious little to distinguish us" he said to no one in particular as he made his way back to the couch. Once he had sat down again, Trunks straddled his lap. He kissed him tenderly, then simply embraced him, resting his chest against his shoulder as the bomb went off around them and they were incinerated in a blast of heat and light.

The next morning, Councilman Sharpner walked in to work and was greeted by an unusual sight. There was someone in his chair. He frowned, looking around.

"What's the meaning of this?" he said loudly, seeing that the rest of the Council was already gathered.

"Councilman Sharpner, you have disgraced the State; you have been found obsolete" his replacement, Councilman 17, informed him.

Master Roshi: Well there you have it kids, never trust an android. (18 smacks him on the side of the head) What I meant to say was (rubbing his head), that any state, entity, or ideology which fails to recognize the rights of man, is in and of it's self obsolete.

18: Just stick to the script next time old man.

Master Roshi: Yes Ma'am.

The End


	3. Chapter 3

A Most Unusual Camera

Master Roshi: Today our tale centers not necessarily around a place in time, but travelers through it. Two young men, one poor, one rich, trying to make their way as best they can. Will the push fate gives them be enough? Find out now, in the Dragonball Zone...

Gohan was woken by a blur of spiky hair jumping up and down on him.

"Gohan! Gohan! Get up! It's morning!" Goten shouted as he bobbed up and down excitedly.

"Alright, alright already, I'm up!" Gohan couldn't help but smile at his little brother's enthusiasm, even though he'd had five hours' sleep max. He had been up late finishing a paper that was due Monday. Yes, he did homework on Friday nights – that left him the whole weekend to spend with family and friends. Like now for instance, he could spend the whole day with Goten, worry free (mostly), since all his work was done. He hated having to tell the boy no, that he was too busy for him; he got that enough already.

"Have you eaten yet?" Gohan asked as he ruffled the boys' hair, then pulled on a pair of jeans and headed for the bathroom.

"Just a box of cereal and some bananas and a couple pieces of toast and a jar of pickles and a box of breakfast bars... When are you going to make breakfast?" A jar of pickles? Gohan though to himself... where was Mom?

"How long have you been awake sport?" he asked instead.

"Oh, about an hour, I already called over to CC, Trunks will be here with Trunks soon, so hurry Gohan!" Goten shouted as he raced out of the room again.

Gohan let his negative thoughts race around in his head while he quickly brushed his teeth, then he spit them out with the toothpaste and went to start the new day.

"Our Trunks' are here!" Goten shouted in the middle of devouring his eggs, feeling their ki getting close.

"I know, they're almost here, hurry up and finish your eggs so we can go!" Gohan used his brother's own excitement to cover the fact that they really couldn't afford to offer anything to their approaching guests if they arrived in the middle of the meal... Gohan inhaled the rest of his eggs as quickly as Goten, making it a race that he just _barely_ managed to win. Goten pretended to pout in defeat until Trunks' pert knocking sounded on the door. Gohan quickly cleared the dishes as Goten let them in.

"Hi Goten!"

"Hi Trunks!" The two younger boys still greeted each other with a hug.

"Hey Gohan" Trunks said with a nod and a smile.

"Hey Trunks" Gohan smiled back. Trunks having come back to their time was still a little new, but a welcome adjustment. Kid Trunks had been skeptical of him at first, but it was actually his father's pretty much indifferent attitude toward Mirai that let him accept him... No one wants to feel like they are being replaced by a better version of themselves. Gohan wasn't sure Vegeta was "aware" enough to get credit for having done it on purpose, but at least it had all worked out.

"You guys ready? We should probably get an early start if we don't want all the good stuff to be taken" Mirai said seriously.

"Yeah, let's go!" the boys shouted in unison, making their "older brothers" laugh.

It had actually been Mirai Trunks that had suggested yard sales to Gohan. He had been able to see straight off the bat how Gohan worried for Goten with everything that was going on at home. He remembered his mom taking him to things like that as a young boy, especially since most trade was done that way in their time anyhow. In this time it was a cheap way to get toys and games for Goten that Gohan wouldn't have been able to afford otherwise. Plus when Gohan wasn't looking, he would slip each of the boys a 5 or 10, letting them get whatever they wanted at that sale – and once Goten had picked something out and had his little heart set on it, Gohan could never say no – it was the only way he could get him to accept any kind of help from him.

"I'll lock up behind us" Gohan said, herding them all out ahead of him.

The boys took to the air immediately in excitement; they would all fly to the nearest city before landing to walk the streets looking for yard sale signs.

Mirai waited on the front steps with Gohan as he locked the door.

"She's gone already, so early?" he said softly, wary of little super saiyan ears.

"That would imply that she'd been back last night" Gohan replied in a tired whisper.

"And your Dad? What did he do?"

"He's not going to do anything about something he doesn't see – he'd have to be around to notice that she wasn't" Gohan said a bit bitterly. Mirai squeezed his shoulder.

"You guys should come spend the night tonight – mom has been complaining that she never gets to see you anymore with your crazy workload at the university" Mirai offered.

"That might be nice actually – Goten would love it, and I do have plans to meet Videl on Sunday in West City, so being there already would cut down on my travel time a lot" Gohan replied.

"Good, it's settled then" Trunks smiled. He didn't really care for Videl, but if she made Gohan happy, then he was happy for him. He just couldn't help but draw more than a few similarities between her and Chichi – but he didn't think it was his place to say anything yet, having only been here for a month.

"Come on you guys! What's the hold up?" Trunks and Goten shouted back to them. They took off flying from the porch, catching up quickly.

"I was just inviting you and Gohan to spend the night tonight, that's all" Mirai said casually.

"OH, CAN WE? CAN WE?" Goten squealed loudly.

"Easy sport, I already said yes" Gohan rubbed his ears and laughed.

"Awesome!" Trunks high five'd Goten.

"Thanks Gohan! Thanks Gohan's Trunks!" Goten said as the two boys flew ahead and did aerial cartwheels of excitement.

Mirai chuckled.

"I'm still trying to get him to stop saying it like that" Gohan said as he rolled his eyes.

"It's ok, I don't mind – it was probably just the easiest way for him to differentiate us in his head, so it stuck" Mirai dismissed it as they flew on.

They had made out like desert bandits most of the morning; it helped that Goten was completely adorable. Though there was one lady at the last yard sale who had been trying to give Gohan anything he wanted for free, including her number. He had blushed and politely refused, but she told him to keep the box of odd knick knacks anyway. He didn't really want them after that, but was too embarrassed to argue and just walked away quickly.

Mirai carried their haul in a storage capsule, and treated them to lunch after they were done. Gohan was so flustered from his 'encounter' that he agreed to it without much fuss. For once. When they got back to Mt. Paoz, the boys wanted to go through all their new stuff right away, but Gohan told them they had to wait until they got to CC. Goten packed in record time. There was still no sign of either of their parents. Gohan could feel where his Dad's ki was, training up a storm without a care in the world, but his mom was too weak to sense accurately. He decided to brush his teeth again, from lunch, before they left.

Watching the boys go through the pile of newly acquired treasures was entertaining, to say the least. Apparently there was a large set of horribly ugly figurines that Trunks had got just to use for target practice, so the festivities were soon taken outside. Mirai took the opportunity to sort through Gohan's box of "free" stuff, since he obviously wasn't going to do it himself.

"Oh man, just leave it" Gohan said, "you should be working on jimmying the lock on that weird chest you got for your mom anyway."

"It'll keep" Mirai said with a laugh, pulling out an huge antique looking camera from the box.

"This looks interesting, it's got to be a camera of some kind, but look, there's no way to open it..." Mirai mused as he turned it over "how would you get the film in and out?"

"Here, let me see it" Gohan took it from him, examining it closely.

"Hmm, you're right, that's really strange – maybe it's a fake that's meant to be decorative?" he said as he handed it back.

Trunks pressed the shutter button absently, and the camera gave a click, whirring internally. Gohan raised an eyebrow as the edge of a photo appeared out of the small slit beneath the lens. Curious, Mirai pulled it out of the camera, and Gohan leaned over to see it as well. The focus of the photo was an off-angle shot of the chest beside him, only instead of sitting there locked, it was smashed to pieces.

"What?" They both said in unison under their breath. Gohan turned to look at the chest, and it was fine...

"That's kind of freaky..." he said.

"Yeah" Mirai agreed with a frown. How could a camera take a picture of something that wasn't real or hadn't … hadn't happened. Yet. His mind filed in the blanks even though he wasn't sure he wanted it to. That couldn't possibly be it, he thought. They were interrupted by the boys coming back in; they had made short work of the figurines. Mirai folded up the photo and put it in his pocket. Gohan got distracted himself, and forgot to think about it anymore – until breakfast the next morning. Bulma's mother was an infinitely better cook that he was, and loved any excuse to show off her talents, so he slept in knowing Goten would be taken care of.

Then a large crash woke him from his blissful slumber. He could feel that both of the boys were super saiyans, down stairs in the living room, and could feel Mirai heading toward them from the room next to him. He sat up lazily, knowing if he got too much sleep, he'd be groggy all day anyway. Might as well go see what the little brats were up to this time. He didn't bother getting dressed yet, and walked out into the hall with just his red pajama pants on. He powered up a little as he yelled down the stairs, "You two better not have broken anything expensive!".

"Define expensive" came Trunks' reply. Gohan groaned as he loped down the stairs. Mirai was already there when he turned the corner. Gohan went to asses the damage, and discovered that it was the chest from yesterday, broken to bits. The picture immediately jumped back into his mind, and he just stood there staring in disbelief. The boys were talking a mile a minute about how the incident that had occurred was actually neither of their faults, when Gohan caught movement out of the corner of his eye. Mirai had returned with the picture in hand and was frowning at it. The boys eventually died down when they didn't get any reaction at all from them. After a few moments of standing there in silence, Trunks ventured to break it.

"So... is it ok if we go play outside now?" he asked. Gohan frowned, but then nodded his head. The boys high-tailed it out of there as quick as they could, not believing their good fortune at escaping one of Gohan's lectures.

"I think there is something special about this camera" Mirai said once they had left the room.

"It must be a coincidence" Gohan replied.

"Ok, but even if the picture then, matching the chest now, is a coincidence, why would it take a picture like that in the first place?" Mirai countered. Gohan had no response to that.

"Well, maybe we should test it" was all he could think of...

"Yes, definitely."

"This is crazy" Gohan said as he rubbed the sleep and disbelief from his eyes.

"The future is a crazy place sometimes" Mirai said softly.

"You don't really think it takes pictures of the future, do you?" Gohan asked. Mirai turned to him and placed his hand on his shoulder seriously, but when Gohan looked up, his eyes were laughing at him.

"You've lead a very sheltered life, haven't you?" Mirai teased.

"Ok, fine, I get your point. I guess with everything we've seen, a device that takes pictures of the future doesn't seem so out there... But I'm still skeptical" Gohan relented slightly.

"What kind of test were you thinking of?" Mirai asked.

"I don't know... We need to find something that it would be impossible for anyone to know the outcome of ahead of time" he mused.

"Like a competition."

"Yes, exactly. But the World Martial Arts Tournament isn't for another year..." Gohan replied. Mirai laughed at him again.

"There are plenty of other 'competitions' going on every day, I'm sure we could find something happening this afternoon."

"Well, I have plans with Videl this afternoon..." Gohan reminded him.

"She won't mind, just this once, will she?" Mirai asked.

"I don't know, she can be pretty stubborn sometimes" Gohan said with a laugh.

"More than just sometimes, if you ask me" Mirai decided to push a little.

"Yeah, I guess so, but it's just part of who she is, she's a very passionate person."

"I see" Mirai let it go at that, "well, I guess there's no rush, we'll figure it out eventually. We could try for next weekend, and I'll use that time to try and decipher this writing on the side of it."

"It looks like French" Gohan offered.

"Do you understand it?"

"No, Mom made me take Latin."

The next weekend Gohan made sure to keep Sunday open to test their theory. Videl was less than thrilled. She had complained sadly at first, and then when that didn't work, she bitched at him for a half an hour. Gohan had already given Mirai his word though, so he wouldn't back down. After she had gone, the house seemed almost too quiet. Gohan went to go check on Goten. He was in their room, looking at a comic book on the bed.

"Hey sport, whatcha doing?" Gohan asked cheerfully.

"Nothing, why do you guys fight so much?" Goten asked him.

"We don't fight that often, it's just this time, I promise" Gohan replied.

"No, you fight a lot" he said matter-of-factly, "she always yells at you, you just normally give in and do whatever she wants. Why do you do that? I wouldn't let Trunks yell at me like that... You know what I'd do? I'd punch him in the face."

"I'm not going to punch Videl, and we don't really fight that much sport..." Gohan felt slightly defensive. Goten didn't respond right away, but when he did, Gohan's defensiveness was shattered.

"At least you don't run away after like Dad does."

Silence.

Gohan's head was churning, unable to fully make sense of all the emotions that one sentence sent spinning through him. He sat down on the edge of the bed and pulled Goten into a hug.

"I didn't mean to make you sad Gohan" Goten said as he felt tears falling on him.

"It's not you, you haven't done anything wrong Goten – it's just sometimes, I wish things were different, that's all."

"You don't have to put up with it you know" Goten said, still hugging him tightly.

"What?"

"You could get a different girlfriend, one who is nicer – or not even have one at all, that's ok too" Goten informed him seriously. Gohan hoped that the fact that he had missed the point meant Goten was not a jaded as he had become when it involved their parents.

"Ok, enough about this for now – I think it's almost time for dinner" Gohan replied, using a tried and true distraction to change the subject. Goten was getting more and more perceptive, but thankfully at 9 he was still pretty innocent as well.

When next Sunday rolled around, Mirai had devised a way to test their little theory. He showed Gohan the spot in the paper where they printed the various sports news for West City, and circled the racing section. Gohan frowned. A horse race? That didn't seem like the sort of place Goten should be hanging out at, his Mom would probably … not even know – or care if she did these days.

"Ok" Gohan said, feeling a little rebellious.

"Good, I got Gram & Gramps to watch the boys while we're gone – which means they'll be totally cracked out on sugar by the time we get back, so we better enjoy it while we can" Mirai grinned.

"Even better" Gohan replied.

The track was crowded and noisy, but there was a definite air of excitement around. Mirai and Gohan strolled over to the board displaying the previous winners, and he casually took a picture of Gohan standing in front of it. When they looked at the photo, the board displayed a different set of names, and there was no Gohan in the shot. Mirai let out a deep breath, handing the photo to Gohan.

"Well, let's go find out if there's such a thing as fate" he said motioning him over to the line.

"What are you doing?" Gohan asked.

"We're going to bet on that horse, obviously" Mirai replied.

"But the stats show that 'Bonnie Blue' has never even placed before – this is silly" Gohan said.

"Come on, Gohan, I thought we were going to do this together – besides, it will be more fun if we both win something."

"Ok, fine, but I'm only betting a couple bucks on this."

When they got up to the window, Mirai placed 20 on Bonnie Blue to win, at 1 to 65 odds. Gohan only had a 5 and a 20 on him, and was wondering if it would be weird to ask the bookie for change to place a 2 dollar bet, when Mirai snatched the 20 out of his wallet and placed it on the counter for him. Gohan started to protest, but Mirai stopped him.

"Hey, trust me ok, I've got a feeling about this."

Gohan began to shake his head, but Mirai continued, "Look, I'll make you a 'personal' wager as well; if the horse loses when I made you do this, I'll buy you enough groceries to feed Goten for a week, ok?"

"And what if the horse wins? What do I owe _you_ then?" Gohan asked skeptically.

"You can owe me a favor, to be determined..." Mirai smiled. Gohan rolled his eyes, but placed the bet.

"20 on Bonnie Blue to win" Mirai didn't know they were down to eating wild game he caught on the flight home from school, and hadn't seen either of his parents for over 3 days. It was common for his Dad to be gone for a week at a time training, and now his Mom's drinking was quickly heading that way as well.

Thirteen hundred dollars was more cash than he had ever held in his hands at once before. He felt light headed. Mirai kept asking him if he was ok every few minutes. He must have looked pretty pale to worry him. When his head began to clear, he picked up the camera, turning it over several times in his examination, then set it back down on the table they were at and stared into the distance.

"I want to do it again – for Goten" he said after a moment.

"I mean, I'm fine, I can take care of myself," he continued, "but Goten's still so young... I can't... I can't take care of him like he should be, I think this is going to be my last year of college if something doesn't change soon."

"You didn't tell me things were that bad Gohan," Mirai scolded him, "You've got a full scholarship, you can't just drop out, I won't let you do that."

"I can't just abandon him either, he's my brother."

"You could ask for help" Mirai said gently.

"No, Dad doesn't get it, he thinks everything will just 'work out' eventually, that it's just a faze Mom's going through. I've tried to talk to him about it, but he won't take it seriously; he just takes off to go train anyway – which is exactly why she started drinking in the first place, so I guess it shouldn't surprise me." That last part sounded particularly bitter.

"That's why I want to do this again, not for personal gain, just so I can keep things up for him for as long as possible. Maybe even do something special, you know, give him a good memory to help counteract all the bad ones" he added.

"Ok, here. Take this then, and don't argue – it's put to much better use for Goten, and I don't need it" Mirai said, handing him the wad of cash from his own winnings. Gohan accepted it hesitantly, with moisture threatening his cheeks, then thanked the other man sincerely. They switched roles this time, with Gohan snapping the picture, and then placed their bet on lucky number 5; who's odds were 1 to 73.

One hundred eighty-nine thousand, eight hundred dollars would not fit in Gohan's wallet.

"Ok, no more betting with this thing, we don't want to develop a problem" Gohan joked when they got back home with the sack of money.

"I think we'll be ok, we did it for the right reasons – I am kind of wondering what other uses we could put it to though" Mirai wondered out loud. His thoughts were interrupted by two very hyper boys chasing/ wrestling with each other through the room, yelling at the top of their lungs.

"Hey hey hey, settle down there guys, Goten, it's time for us to go home anyway" Gohan called into the fray. After several disappointed complaints, they finally extracted the boys from each other, and headed out.

When they got home, Chichi was passed out unconscious on the kitchen floor.

"Go to your room Goten, I'll take care of her" he said quickly.

"Are you sure? I could help you" Goten offered.

"No, it's ok sport, just go on."

He walked over and pried the spilled bottle of vodka out of her hand, checking her pulse, then slung her over his shoulder. He didn't even want to know how long it had been since the last time she had showered. He laid her in her bed, then locked the door behind him as he left – no need for Goten to see anymore than he had too. There was very little chance they would see her before she sobered up long enough to take off again anyway. He wasn't even sure why she came back anymore.

The next morning, her door was still locked when they left for their respective schools. When they got home later that afternoon, it was open and the house was empty again. Goten reached over and grabbed onto the hem of his brothers' shirt, preventing him from moving around without him. Gohan sighed and rubbed the boys' head. It was harder to do pretty much anything with Goten in 'shadow' mode, but it usually didn't last for more than a few hours. He would just deal with it – he had to, for Gotens' sake.

At least now he knew they would be able to survive off the winnings he and Mirai had come away with for quite a while. He would keep his job at the University library of course, that would enable him to stretch out the money through the rest of his college career, and possibly beyond. Once he graduated he would be able to get a real job and that would solve so many issues, but for now they played the waiting game. Wait for Gohan to finish school, wait for Goten to get a little older, wait for anyone else to give a shit... Well, Mirai cared – he was the only one who bothered to get involved. Not that Gohan wanted other people involved though. Mirai was turning out to be just the right amount of support, actually. He didn't want charity, and certainly nothing for himself – Goten was all that mattered, and he thought Mirai understood that. He was probably the one person aside from Piccolo that he would be comfortable turning to if things got really bad.

"Hey sport, you know what? I think we should go out to eat tonight" Gohan said cheerfully.

"You mean to a restaurant?" Goten hesitantly asked.

"Yep, anywhere you want kid, just pick the place"

"Where did you get the money for that?" Goten asked him. Damn that perception, how old was he again?...

"Well, I recently came into a bit of money, it's ok, really, wherever you want to go" Gohan dodged the question. Goten looked at him curiously for a second, then picked pizza.

The next weekend, after they checked the yard sales in West City out of habit, then went back to Capsule Corp to hang out for the rest of the afternoon.

"I figured out what the writing says" Mirai offered once they had a moment to themselves.

"Oh really? That's awesome, what does it mean?" Gohan's interest was piqued.

"It says, '7 only per owner' and it is French, you were right."

"Only 7 photos? Well, we already used 3, so I guess we could take turns with the rest of them, we would get 2 more each..." Gohan mused.

"Yeah, sure. That would work." Mirai answered as lunch was announced. He didn't say anything more about it until after they were done.

"I have an idea," Mirai started, "sort of like another test, just to see what would happen; it can count for one of 'my' photos."

"Ok, sure."

"Well, I was wondering what would happen if we took a picture of ourselves in between two mirrors. The other photos have all been fixated around that 'place' in time, I wonder if we did it that way, if it would show 'us' wherever we are in the future..." Trunks explained.

"That's a pretty good idea Trunks, I didn't think of it like that..." Gohan was impressed. They were able to find a couple of mirrors that were big enough in Bulma's closet – both double doors were lined with them.

"Perfect" Mirai said. They lined them up and smiled for the camera, right as Bulma came into her room.

"Um, what are you boys doing?" she said with a slightly accusing tone. Trunks pulled the photo out of the camera as he spoke.

"Well, apparently we're going to a party" Mirai said, dismissing her tone.

"And why do you need to get into my closet for that?"

"We were just borrowing your mirrors, that's all" Mirai kissed her on the cheek as they left.

"So, get invited to any parties that would be taking place soon?" Mirai inquired of Gohan with a smile.

"Actually, yeah, I'm pretty sure I know who's party that would be – you don't really think we should go do you?" Gohan replied.

"Of course, look what happened with the other photos, they all turned out great."

"I don't know... I didn't plan on going because Videl won't, she doesn't like the girl who's throwing it, plus there's Goten."

"Goten can spend the night here, he'll be fine; ecstatic even."

"Do you really think 'fate' is telling us to go to that party?" Gohan asked.

"Would it be so crazy if fate was telling you that you need to have some fun once in awhile?" Trunks teased him.

"Alright, alright, we'll go then" Gohan gave in. Maybe it would be fun to just hang out and have a good time with friends his own age. He knew plenty of people at college, he just rarely got to do anything outside of study with them.

"Hey Cindy, I hope it's ok I brought a friend!" Gohan shouted over the music. Cindy didn't mind, especially when she saw his friend. The music was really too loud in this part of the house to be talking, so she just licked her lips as she openly looked him up and down. Mirai rolled his eyes and raised an eyebrow at her. She just laughed and motioned them farther in.

"So, no Videl tonight?" she said as they cleared the deafening threshold.

"No."

"Oh really, why is that?" Cindy asked with a laugh, "Did you guys break up?"

"I don't know, it's kind of a long story" Gohan replied with a sigh.

"What?! Do not tell me you are finally single, Son Gohan, and decided to show up at my party for your first taste of freedom..." Cindy stopped him with a hand on his chest.

"I wouldn't say 'single'... though, I'm not really sure actually – see Videl threatened to break up with me if I came to this party without her, and she refused to come, but Trunks' here really wanted to go... I told her we were going to go, and then she hung up on me, so I don't really know if we're together or not..." Gohan explained.

"You shouldn't worry about it Gohan" Mirai squeezed his shoulder reassuringly.

"Yeah, your gorgeous friend here is absolutely right – here, have a drink and don't think another thought about it" Cindy said with authority.

"Maybe just a couple, I don't want to over do it" Gohan said as he accepted the bright red cup. Cindy handed one with a wink to Mirai as well. Thankfully, she was pulled into another section of the party by one of her friends, so they were left alone for a minute.

"I've never drank before" Gohan admitted to Mirai.

"Me neither" he confided, "Mom ran a dry ship, in my time. The one here is much more laid back, understandably, but it just hasn't really come up" he said, taking a sip of his drink.

"Well, what do you think?" Gohan asked.

"It tastes fine, really fruity – cheers!" he said holding up his cup.

Several hours later, the dance floor was calling Gohan's name. The party was in full swing, and the place was absolutely packed. He and Mirai found themselves with a pair of random girls, trying to make their way onto the floor through the insane mash of people. Gohan lead the way, holding random girl #1's hand, who was holding Mirai's hand, who was holding on to random girl #2 as they snaked their way across the room. The music pumped loudly around them and the alcohol pumped loudly through them as they danced. After 3 or 4 songs, they had lost track of random girls 1 & 2 in the press of bodies. Gohan leaned over, getting close enough that he could put his mouth right next to Mirai's ear.

"I'm glad we came" he whispered as he leaned against him, knowing Mirai's half-saiyan hearing would be able to pick it out from the other noise around them. He saw his head nod, and caught his smile out of the corner of his eye. Gohan kissed him on the cheek in gratitude. Then Mirai's head turned toward him and they both found themselves in the middle of a deep, unrestrained kiss. Gohan wasn't really sure who had started it, all of a sudden it was just happening, but it was amazing to feel Mirai's arms wrapped around him. He put his arms around the other man's waist as their tongues caressed inside their combined mouth. As the song ended, they pulled back from each other, grinning widely.

The rest of the night was a blur to Gohan. It was like nothing else mattered after that kiss, and his brain knew it. Unfortunately for his brain, the night did have to end though. When he woke up the next day, he found reality quite a bit more jarring than he had before. He and Trunks had kissed. Full on, no mistake, let me see your tonsils, kissed. This was not supposed to happen. What if Videl found out? Did he really care anymore if she did? What about Trunks, how did he feel? He had so many thoughts running around, chasing bits and pieces of emotions in his head, he was beginning to feel a pounding forming behind his eyes. He wasn't sure if it was the hangover or the stress at first, but decided on hangover when opening his eyes brought physical pain to his retinas.

Lunch was awkward. They had slept right through breakfast, so Gohan was starving by the time he was finally able to pull himself out of bed. He vowed to never consume alcohol again in the silence that sat between them. As the day wore on, it only got worse, until Gohan could barely look in Mirai's direction by the time they left. He practically ran away from Capsule Corp... But why? Maybe he just needed a few days to process this, then he would be able to deal with it better.

It had now been four weeks since they found that blasted camera. When Mirai came over with Trunks the next weekend, he acted like nothing had happened. It both relieved him and pissed him off. He decided to act as normal as possible too, for the boys' sake... but inside he felt, what, rejected? Did that mean he had real feelings for him? Several times throughout the day, Gohan would have to stop what he was doing and shake his head to clear the thoughts of Mirai that kept popping up there. Goten could tell he was distracted, but obviously had no clue as to the real reason why, and Mirai kept silent as well.

Finally, Gohan couldn't take the turmoil anymore. The camera. The camera had started this, maybe it would have some insight into the end of it as well. He cornered / surprised Mirai in his room when they were at Capsule Corp later that day, snapping a photo of him sitting on his bed quickly before he had a chance to react.

"Say cheese" he said after the fact, pulling the photo out so that only he could see it.

"What are you doing?" Mirai demanded, slightly ticked off by Gohan's impulsiveness. Gohan studied the picture for a moment, then threw it down on the bed next to Mirai, sitting down on the edge himself.

"Apparently breaking up with Videl" he said flatly. Mirai picked up the photo. It was this spot on his bed, at some point in the near future, and on it he was making out with Gohan rather intensely. He looked up directly into Gohan's eyes, and was met with a blush. So he did like it.

"So you did like it" Mirai stated out loud. Gohan traced the edge of the photo in Mirai's hand as it rested against the bed, blushing even deeper.

"I'd be lying if I said I didn't... But what does it mean?" he worried.

"Mean? What do you mean 'what does it mean?'" Mirai questioned him.

"Gahh, you know what I mean Trunks" Gohan said, getting flustered.

"Actually, I'm afraid I don't" he replied. Gohan turned to look him in the eye again, sometimes with Mirai, you never knew if he was being serious, or making light of something, until you looked in his eyes. He was laughing at him.

"Damn it" Gohan said, a grin cracking his own face, "I'm trying to be serious here."

"Ok, I'm sorry... Would it help if I told you I liked it too?" Mirai settled down.

"Yes and no."

"Why?"

"Why yes, or why no?" Gohan asked him.

Mirai paused for a moment, setting the picture aside, "Why no?"

"I don't know for sure, maybe because I feel a little bad that things were unresolved with Videl when this happened? Also, you know, you're a guy... That's not exactly what I pictured for myself, or what anyone else would either, I think. What would Goten say, how would I explain that to him?"

"I don't think you should worry about Goten like that, at this point. You do have a certain amount of responsibility to him as a brother, but not in this, who you love is a strictly personal matter, Gohan" Mirai said as Gohan blushed again, "Besides, Mom caught him and mini-me kissing in the Gravity Room a few weeks ago, so I don't think he'll take much convincing to make him understand." Gohan's jaw dropped to the floor.

"Kissing! In the Gravity Room?! He's only 9!" he started immediately.

"Whoa, whoa, settle down for a minute, ok? It was completely innocent. I saw it happen myself the other day. They weren't 'making out' or anything, it was just like it was the normal way to say 'goodbye' to someone for them, it was actually kind of sweet. I didn't say anything because, well, 'this' had already happened between us when I saw it, and apparently Mom had been hesitant to mention it and freak us out too... She was just going to have a talk with them herself, she only told me because I brought it up first. I think we're going to have to tread very lightly there... especially if we are going to be doing 'this' here" Mirai let his words hang in the air for a moment. Gohan shook his head in disbelief.

"Is she still going to talk to them?" he asked.

"Yeah, I thought she was right, that it would be better that way" Mirai affirmed. Gohan stood.

"I think I need a minute to think about all this" he said. Mirai nodded, watching him walk out of the room. The "minute" Gohan needed could stretch on who knew how long, but it was understandable. He wouldn't mind the chance to sort through a few things himself, knowing now how Gohan felt about all this too. Mirai tucked the most recent photo into a book on his bedside table, and wondered how far into the future it would be exactly, before he and Gohan gave in to fate...

Gohan had just sat down, hiding in one of the guest rooms, ready to give everything a good long thinking through, when Goten peeked through the door.

"Hey Gohan, can I talk to you for a minute while you're alone?" he sounded nervous.

"Sure, of course" he answered, "what's going on?" Goten shut the door behind him, and sat on the edge of the bed a few feet from him.

"Um, Gohan, do you think it's wrong to kiss another boy?" Oh. My. God. ... He was not ready to be having this conversation. Shit. He hadn't even _had_ sex himself; he was sooooo not the one to be explaining these things to him... Mostly because he hadn't really worked them out yet either...

"Well, that depends..." he stalled.

"On what?" Goten asked right away.

"Well, I guess on if you really love them or not, and your age" Gohan voiced his own concerns.

"Oh... but that would be the same if it was a girl too though, right?" Goten continued.

"Basically, yeah."

"So it's not wrong, for being a boy?"

"No, it's not wrong" Gohan said with finality.

"Bulma said that it's not really normal, but some people are ok with it, when you're older..." Goten added.

Was that the best she could come up with? Gohan thought. Although, he wasn't really one to talk, he was having a hard time of it too.

"Who you choose to love is no one else's business Goten, but Bulma's right, you do need to be older to start doing stuff like that" Gohan borrowed the only way he could think of to describe it properly.

"So, how old do you think I need to be?" he asked.

"Well, I'd say at least a teenager, 13, to be kissing, older for anything more than that" Gohan thought out loud.

"What's more than that?"

"Nothing. Well, not nothing, just... Nothing you need to worry about right now, ok? I'll tell you more about it when you get older"

"Oh, you mean like sex?" Goten asked, "Can two boys have sex? I thought you had to have a girl for that..."

"Uh, well, as far as I know it's possible, but I– _How do you even know about sex_?!" Gohan said, startled.

"Vegeta told Trunks, and Trunks told me" Goten replied.

Oh dear God... he should have suspected Trunks would be told soon, it just wasn't something he ever thought about, keeping track of the boys' "milestones" on his own...

"Oh, ok" was all he managed to say at first.

"You know that's only for adults, right?" he followed up with a moment later.

"Yeah, I know."

"Ok, as long as we're clear on that..." Gohan was interrupted by Trunks bursting into the room, looking for Goten.

"Goten! It's starting to rain!" Trunks said excitedly.

"Yeah! Alright, let go!" Goten replied, bounding off the bed. Demi-Saiyans were some of the only children who could have an all-out mud throwing fight without their parents worrying they would lose an eye. Gohan sighed in relief as the two raced out the door, at least that conversation was over now. He thought about beginning his own 'journey' now, when he realized that somewhere in the talk with Goten, he had already made up his mind.

Mirai was surprised to see Gohan back in his room so soon, and even more surprised when he pushed him over backwards and kissed him against the bed. He wrapped his arms around that chiseled frame, thoroughly enjoying Gohan's exploration of his mouth. When Gohan finally broke the kiss, he didn't say anything, just rested his head in the crook of Mirai's neck and shoulder, sighing deeply. Mirai rolled them over, and looked down into Gohan's eyes from above.

"That was fast" he said with a smirk.

"You're an easy decision to make" Gohan answered sincerely. The smirk changed into just a regular smile as Mirai's eyes danced, and Gohan fell in love. Mirai leaned down, capturing their mouths together again, falling hard himself. He let his hands roam a little, feeling rock hard abs and perfect pecs quiver under his touch. He was so turned on it was unbelievable.

Bulma couldn't believe it either as she passed by the hall, though she was beginning to think she should have suspected. She opened her mouth to say something, but instead just pulled the door closed – they were both adults.

The click made them both jump. Mirai turned to see who it was, but was faced with a closed door. Gohan sat up as well, looking rather nervous.

"I think I forgot to close the door behind me" he said apologetically with his hand on the back of his neck. Mirai just gave him a look and sighed, standing up. He crossed to the door and pulled it open, looking out into the hallway, but found it empty.

"Well, it was either Mom or Gramps – anyone else would have said something instead of just shutting it."

"Oh, great..."

"At least it wasn't Dad, or the boys – that's not one I'm really ready to explain yet either" Mirai confessed.

"Did you know they knew about sex already?" Gohan questioned him.

"What?! No, how did they find _that_ out?"

"Goten told me that Vegeta's already had 'the talk' with Trunks, and of course, he told Goten everything afterward..."

"And when did _you_ find that out?" Mirai asked.

"Just a few minutes ago when Goten was asking me if it's ok to kiss boys – oh yeah, I'm serious" Gohan added at the look on Mirai's face. After a moment, he began laughing to himself.

"What's so funny?" Gohan asked him.

"It's just, I feel kind of sorry for Mom now... If she wants the Capsule Corp dynasty to continue, she's going to have to pop out another kid pretty quick here, and hope it's not like me..."

Gohan's eyes widened a little as a grin broke out over his face as well, imagining how pissed she would be at 'having' to 'ruin' her figure again...

"Oh man, if you guys want to come stay with us for awhile, let me know" he laughed.

They had practiced their "making out with another man" skills for the rest of that weekend, and by the time the next one came around, they were both tired of phone calls and ki searching.

"Hey Trunks."

"Hey Gohan."

They could not be done with the yard sales quick enough. They ended up calling it quits earlier than usual, telling the boys they could have whatever they wanted from the last one to make up for it. That lady was very happy when they left. Once back at Capsule Corp, Mirai popped the storage capsule behind him as he headed up the stairs, dragging Gohan with him and telling the boys they needed to "talk" for a minute while they went through their stuff. Unless a groan counted as "talking," then that was a complete lie, because it was the only sound Gohan made when he was pushed up against the wall just inside Mirai's room. No words passed between them as they molested each others' mouths, though Gohan did groan again when Mirai began nipping his way down the younger man's neck.

A knock on the door broke their concentration all too soon. Mirai stepped back from him, and noticed they were both shirtless – when had that happened? He answered the door anyway; they were both guys, it wasn't like they were indecent or anything. Mirai's grandmother told them lunch was ready, vaguely hitting on her grandson as she did it... they found their shirts and headed back downstairs with a sigh.

"I've been thinking," Mirai started after lunch, "that we should try taking another shot with the mirrors again."

"You don't think we should save the last ones' for a rainy day or something?" Gohan asked him.

"I don't think they show anything far enough in the future to really be of use for that, besides, if something _that_ horrible did happen, we have a time machine" Mirai countered.

"Yeah, that's true" Gohan agreed, "but why do you want to do another one right now?"

"I just like seeing you squirm" Mirai said with a laughing purr, "honestly, it's probably just going to show us making out again."

Gohan blushed, but not as badly as the first time. A small mischievous smile curled on his lips... he wondered if he could affect the outcome of the picture by planning to do a specific thing in his head now...

"Sure, you're on" he said with a laugh.

"Ok, let's go" Mirai said.

They pulled open Bulma's closet and set the doors to reflect inward on each other again, then pushed the button. Gohan glanced a peek at the photo as Mirai pulled it out, but mostly he watched Mirai's face. That is, watched his face turn crimson. Gohan laughed, plucking the picture from his hands and pulling him in for a kiss.

"Wait," Mirai said as he pulled back.

"No, I don't think we should" Gohan responded.

Mirai's eyes got very serious as they held each other close in his mother's closet...

"That's a big step Gohan."

"I know, but I don't see any reason against it – I want to, and I'm pretty sure you want to too; after everything we've been through, in this world and the next, we'd have to be crazy _not_ to go for it right now while we've got the chance."

"I know, I agree with all of that, I just want to make sure you aren't going to regret it later" Mirai informed him.

"I won't, I promise" Gohan smiled as he tucked the picture of them having sex into his back pocket.

"Don't 'misplace' that..." Mirai warned him.

"Oh, no, I'm keeping it safe, I plan on studying it very thoroughly" he joked with a wink, pulling him back into the kiss.

When Mirai pulled him into his room later that night, Gohan already knew how this would end, but this time the journey there was the part he was looking forward to. Only slightly nervous hands caressed him, removed his shirt and stroked his sides. Gohan returned the favor, only slightly nervous himself – it was hard to tell nerves from anticipation at this point. When Mirai unbuckled his pants for him, he felt his stomach literally flutter. They weren't kissing now, just resting their foreheads against each others' as they watched the rest of their clothes slide off. They hadn't had occasion before this to see each other naked, and it stirred both their blood, how many firsts would happen tonight.

Mirai decided to brake the spell, pulling a now erect Gohan to him closely, feeling his own hardened member make delicious contact with Gohan's stomach. He kissed him gently, lightly running his hands down his muscular back and over his cheeks, squeezing softly. Gohan moaned into his mouth, pushing them back towards the bed at that. Eager could not even begin to describe the look in Gohan's eyes, and Mirai knew that there would be no regret there. He pulled him down and began kissing every inch of his neck and shoulders, incredibly pleased with the sounds that escaped him as he went. Gohan massaged his back and wrapped his legs around Mirai's, rubbing their hips and everything between together.

"Oh God" Mirai paused his kissing as their erections made contact together while grinding.

"You know what I want" Gohan said as he used his hands on Mirai's ass to keep them pressed tightly together.

"Ok Gohan... Damn you're so hot" he said as he pushed a quickly slicked finger into him, watching the reaction on his face. He firmly grasped and then stroked Gohan in his hand as he teased and stretched his ass. Gohan panted as he moaned beneath him. Mirai' fingers found that special spot deep within him, and he gave an actual shout of pleasure. Precum was leaking down over his fingers now, and he couldn't resist getting a taste of this incredible man. He leaned down, never removing his fingers or hand, and licked the head of Gohan's penis, like a cat would clean it's fur, wide and firm. Gohan's orgasm spattered across his face, but he didn't pull back, instead taking him into his mouth as he came, swallowing every drop he could while Gohan turned his name into a cry and plea.

"Fuck" Gohan said when he was done.

"Not quite" Mirai chuckled as he wiped the last of Gohan from his face and used it to slick himself, adding a little lube just to be safe.

Watching Mirai slide into him a moment later was hot enough to make him start getting hard again. There was some pain, yes, but he bore it to get to watch the look on his lover's face.

"You tell me when you're ready" Mirai whispered into his neck, waiting for him to adjust to the intrusion. Gohan tentatively moved his hips as the pain began to recede, finding a warm, incredibly nice sensation replaced it.

"I'm ready" he whispered back, letting the man above him have full control of his body. Mirai slid slowly in and out of him a few more times, just to make sure, and Gohan gave a little "unf" every time he hit home. A smile crept over Mirai's face, watching him squirm beneath him. As he picked up the pace, Gohan's panting became out right gasps, no sensation like this had ever been felt by the man before. The little shock of pleasure that accompanied Mirai's head sinking all the way into him was building faster and faster, and the repeated slap of him thrusting into him was almost as loud as his own cries. The pleasure was a continual thread now, twisting through his stomach and up his spine.

"Trunks, Trunks, I'm going to come again, Fuck!" he panted loudly.

"It's ok, I'm ready too" he said with a kiss as he pulled Gohans' legs up a little higher and went for broke.

"God. Fuck. Aaaaha, Trunks!" he groaned and then came again loudly. Milky white fluid coated Gohan's stomach as Mirai gave in to the spasming muscles around him.

"Gohan... Gohan, Gohan!" he called his name a series of times, then ended his final thrust and collapsed on his chest.

A few months later, Gohan was unpacking the last of the boxes that belonged in the living room, when Mirai came up behind him and hugged him tightly from behind.

"Hey, I've got a surprise for you – you should let this be and go get dressed" he whispered conspiratorially. Gohan laughed and set down the random kick knack Bulma had given them, he loved Mirai's surprises...

"Ok, anything specific I should wear for our outing?" he asked.

"It's on the bed" Mirai smiled. He was already dressed in a nice tuxedo himself, with all the trimmings, even golden Capsule Corp cufflinks, so Gohan guessed his outfit was probably just a slightly different version of that. When he came back out, he looked ready for an evening of dancing on the Titanic.

"This must be one fancy place" he said.

"Yes, you look amazing, by the way" Mirai answered him, dropping the knick knack he had been playing with back on the pile, "Alright, everyone's waiting, so let's get going" he finished with a grin. Unbeknownst to him, that pile contained a most unusual camera in it, and the weight of the falling object was just enough to depress the shutter button one last time, snapping a shot of their apartment's front door.

After the door closed behind them, an old man in a Hawaiian shirt reached over and pulled out the photo, laughing to himself as he looked at it.

Master Roshi: "Well, even I could have predicted that one" he chuckled, tossing the photo of Mirai carrying Gohan across the threshold onto the counter as he left.

El Fin


End file.
